Dredging or excavating apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

i 0. W. HUNT. DREDGING 0R BXGAVATING APPARATUS.

No. 535,951. Patented Man. 19, 1895.

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(No Model. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

O. W. HUNT. DREDGING OR EXUAVATING APPARATUS. No. 535,951. Patented Mar. 19, 1895;

PATENT Orrrce.

CHARLES W. HUNT, OF WEST NEW BRIGHTON, NEW YORK.

DREDGING OR EXCAVATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.- 535,951, dated March I9, 1895 Application filed July 2,18945 sent No. 616,279- oto' inodeh) To aZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. HUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at West New Brighton, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Dredging or Excavating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

In Letters Patent No. 512,827, granted to me January 16, 1894, a two-part bucket is represented in which the axis of the drum for the hoisting chain is not in a plane passing vertically through between the two parts of the bucket but is at one side of the same in order that the hoisting chain may draw nearly vertically from one side of the drum and cen-. tral to the apparatus, and in this instance the shaft of the drum forms also the pivot for the links extending to the half buckets. Hence the strain and friction due to the closing of the bucket against the resistance of the material excavated, comes upon the shaft while such shaft is being rotated.

In my present improvement I provide on one section of the divided bucket, brackets permanently connected and extending upward to receive the shaft of the drum orpulley, and from such brackets links extend to the other half of the bucket for opening and closing the same. Hence the shaft of the drum or pulley is not exposed to the strain and friction due to the closing of the bucket, and the hoisting chain is maintained in a vertical or nearly vertical position from one side of the drum or pulley up through the opening in the headblock, and in consequence of the link connections from the brackets to the opposite half of the bucket being at their upper ends approximately in the central plane passing through between the two halves of the bucket. Such halves are opened and closed with uniformity or nearly so, whereas in cases where the pivotal connections between the links and the brackets are considerably at one side of a plane passing through between the two brackets, the movements of the two halves of the bucket in opening and closing are irregular, and the lower edges of such halves of the bucket do not remain at approximately the same level during the opening and closing movements.

' In the drawings, Figure l is an endview of the bucket as closed, representing also by dotted lines the bucket as open. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view below the line a; as. Fig. 3 shows a modification of the apparatus.

The upper portion of the apparatus may be made in any desired manner either as a frame or with links pivoted to the top guide, as well known. p

The head-block A is represented with frames B connected with its respective ends, and to the lower ends of the frames B the halves C and O of the bucket are pivoted at 2; and I remark that the head-block and frames may be of any desired character, and it is usually advantageous to brace the lower end portions of the frames together by cross bars B.

At the ends of the half bucket 0 there are arms E extending upwardly and also passing beyond a vertical plane passing between the respective halves of the bucket. These brackets are advantageously riveted firmly to the half buckets 0 near the top edges thereof, and the brackets carry the shaft F of the hoisting drum or pulleys, and upon this shaft F the hoisting drum or pulleys are so placed that the hoisting rope G is central or nearly so to the apparatus and passes vertically through any opening in the head-block A, and I find it advantageous to employ, and have so represented, differential drums K L and their chains, as shown in Letters Patent No. 512,825 granted to me January 16, 1894, so that any desired power can be made use of in closing the half buckets toward each other, and the lowering chain H is made use of as usual, the same being connected with the head-block A, and when the weight is sustained by this lowering chain H and the chain G is slack, the half buckets separate for discharging the contents.

The pulleys K may be employed for the hoisting rope or chain to pass around instead of using the drums K L. Such chain may go around the pulley K at the head block, as seen in Fig. 3, so as to obtain the necessary power in closing the bucket.

The links I are pivoted at 3 to the half bucket 0' near the upper and inner corners,

and the upper ends of the links are pivoted at 4 to the brackets E, and such pivots 4 are preferably located as represented at one side of a plane passing vertically between the halves of the bucket, the shaft F being located at the other side of such plane. Hence when the power is applied to the hoisting chain G, it acts to rotate the drums K L and the shaft F or pulleys K, and in so doing such shaft F is drawn upwardly and the power exerted by the chain G is in line or nearly so between the pivots 4, and the action is uniform or nearly so in closing the two halves of the bucket together and inclosing the material that is to be excavated or dredged, and during the reverse movement by which the half buckets are swung apart to discharge the contents, the lower edges of the half buckets are in the same horizontal plane or nearly so and act with uniformity in scraping up or cutting into the material to be excavated by the closing of such half buckets.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with the head-block and connections, of half buckets pivoted to such connections, brackets extending up wardly from one of the half buckets, a shaft and drums or pulleys supported by such brackets and the hoisting chain connected with the drum or pulleys, links pivoted at their lower ends to one half bucket and at their upper ends to the brackets and separately from the drum shaft, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination in a dredging or ex cavating apparatus, of two half buckets, a head-block and connections between the half buckets and head-block, brackets permanently connected with one ofthe halfbucket-s and extending upwardly and. partially over the other half bucket, a shaft and differential drums pivoted upon the brackets, a hoisting chain passing through the head-block to one of the drums, chain connections between the difierential drums, links pivoted at their lower ends to the other half bucket and extending upwardly and diagonally to the brackets on the other half bucket, and pivotal connections at their upper ends, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 28th day of June, 1894.

CHAS. W. HUNT. 

